


My Fictober 2018

by xx0amanda0xx



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender, Dragon Age II, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Dragon Age: Origins, Fallout 4, Tales from the Borderlands - Fandom
Genre: Alcohol, Amputation, Angst, Character Death, Chronic Pain, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Guns, Jealousy, Minor Character Death, Modern Era, Mutual Pining, Pre-Relationship, Pregnancy, References to Depression, Romance, Teen Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-05
Updated: 2018-10-19
Packaged: 2019-07-25 12:52:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 7,904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16197917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xx0amanda0xx/pseuds/xx0amanda0xx
Summary: This is just my Fictober 2018! The prompt list can be found on tumblr @fictober18!





	1. Chapter 1

Brilwyn looked in the mirror as she sat at her vanity table, swallowing thickly as she caught a glimpse of her amputated arm. She hated it, absolutely despised how it looked. She supposed it wouldn’t be so bad if she didn’t have to deal with phantom pains. It felt like pins and needles were being stabbed into the part of her arm that didn’t even exist anymore. It was torturous, she wouldn’t wish it upon anyone. 

 

  She jumped when she heard her door creak open, quickly rolling her sleeve down to cover her arm. Her shoulder length red hair had long since grown out, now falling a little past the middle of her back. Strands of hair fell in her face, to which she tried to move by puffing air in its general direction.

 

“Would you like some help?”, she heard her husband ask. 

 

  Her face flushed with embarrassment as she nodded, fishing a couple of ribbons out of her drawer and handing them to him,”Thank you, Cullen.”

 

“I’m not too good at it.”, he grunted as he tried to corale her hair in his hands.

 

  Her blue eyes found his in the mirror and shined softly, presumably from the tears in her eyes,”You’ve grown rather good at it, I’d say. I’ll still never know how you managed to braid my hair two weeks ago…”

 

“I-I’ve been practicing.”, he smiled sheepishly.

 

  His large hands moved less than gracefully through her hair, but still somehow pulled her hair back into a ponytail with the ribbons keeping it secure. She reached up with her left arm and hissed at herself for not recognizing she only had half an arm there. Brilwyn couldn’t count how many times she had gone to grab something with her hand before scolding herself for being so ignorant.

 

“You don’t have to be upset, it’s okay.”, the blond whispered softly in her ear.

 

“It’s stupid...I always try to do something with it and it’s just...useless!”, she turned around in her chair and buried her face in his torso, her tears falling like rain in a thunderstorm now. 

 

  Cullen slowly rubbed her shoulders, something that always seemed to calm her down, and whispered softly,”Let me see it.”

 

“Wh-What?”, the young woman sniffled and looked up at him.

 

  He got on his knees and slowly rolled up the sleeve on her left arm. His amber eyes found hers as his fingers ghosted down her arm. He let his hand continue down past her arm, running down where the rest of her arm should be,” _Can you feel this?_ ”

 

  The blue eyed girl sniffled and shook her head,”No, no I can’t.”

 

“So if something were to try to harm you physically here, you wouldn’t feel it, would you?”

 

“No..?”

 

  Cullen smiled softly and cupped her face, gingerly pecking her lips, his facial hair tickling her face,”So our next step is to eliminate the emotional pain attached to it, okay?”

 

“It isn’t that easy.”

 

“Nothing worthwhile really is. It will take time, and it will be draining, but you will walk away from this a better woman. Do you understand?”

 

  Brilwyn nodded and hugged him tightly, hiding her face in his chest,”Thank you, for all that you do.”

 

“That’s what I’m here for.”

 


	2. "People like you have no imagination."

Sera sat with Brilwyn in her room above the tavern, staring out the window. The goofy blonde nudged her friend,”So, what do you say, Inky? Prank Solas, yea?”

 

“I dunno…”, Brilwyn whispered. “Don’t you think he’ll get upset?”

 

“Guess so, he’s sorta got a stick up his arse!”, Sera giggled. 

 

  The Inquisitor slowly stood up and stretched before looking over at the goofy young woman,”On the other hand, he might find it amusing. So, I suppose we could go ahead and try it. Just...nothing too drastic; Something tells me he won’t find this as funny as Bull did.”

 

  The rogue smiled brightly and stood up. She gently grabbed the Herald’s hand and took off, leading her down the stairs and outside of the tavern,”What if we painted over his wall and stuff?”

 

“But he worked so hard on that...Is there a way we could do it without taking away from that?”

 

  Sera let go of the red headed leader’s hand and tapped her chin slowly,”Hmm...I’ve got it!”

  
  


*

  
  


  Brilwyn giggled as she finished her last painting. Neither her or Sera were as artistic as Solas, but their paintings could easily be interpreted and understood. Easy piece of paper had some sort of obscene artwork on it. 

 

  Sera snickered and lathered up the back of her painting with a thin layer of cheap glue. She gingerly stuck it on the wall before helping Brilwyn do the same. They had only covered a small portion of the wall, as they figured that they didn’t have time. They also made sure that the glue wouldn’t tear off any of the paint that was on the wall when they took the paper off. It took being careful and putting on as little glue as possible, but it wasn’t impossible to pull off this prank without ruining Solas’s artwork. And that was the whole point. They wanted to prank him, but they didn’t want to take away from anything that he had done. 

 

  The two of them gasped softly as they heard footsteps from down the hall. Sera quickly climbed the ladder and eagerly waited atop of a platform. Brilwyn hid under Solas’s desk, curling up so that she fit under yet still being able to around her. 

 

  Solas walked in and gasped softly, staring up at the wall. He gritted his teeth and looked around,”Sera!”

 

  The prankster giggled and hurried down the ladder, gesturing for the Inquisitor to come out,”It’s funny, yea?”

 

“You ruined my-“

 

“Not so fast.”, Brilwyn smiled before gingerly peeling back one of their paintings. “Your wall is just fine.”

 

  Solas smiles slightly, shaking his head,” _ People like you have no imagination. _ ”

 

“Hey it takes a lot of imagination to pull something like this off!”

 


	3. "How can I trust you?"

Sokka crumpled up the letter in his hand, staring down Toph,”How could you do this? Keep letters from Suki a secret?!”

 

“I didn’t want to lose you...It was stupid, I know, but I just...I’m sorry Sokka.”, the young woman hung her head. 

 

  She’d been talking to Zuko about it, about the letters that had been mailed to the house. She couldn’t read the letters that arrived, and often had Zuko read them for her. When the first letter from Suki had arrived, she thought nothing of it, she even left it with the rest of the mail. In all fairness, Sokka usually throws away opened letters, assuming that Toph would say something if there were something important to be read. 

 

  However, letters came just about every week. With each week, Suki grew more impatient and upset. She began to express a romantic interest in Sokka again, saying that she missed him and that she had been thinking about the times that they had shared some odd years ago. What was Toph supposed to think? Zuko eventually told her that he wouldn’t read letters from Suki to her anymore, he hated seeing the pained look in her eyes. 

 

“Keeping these letters a secret from me...How could you do something like that?  _ How can I trust you _ , Toph?”

 

“Sokka!”, she whimpered, tears threatening to pour out of her eyes. “Is it so bad that I didn’t tell you? I didn’t want you to leave me, I didn’t want you to start thinking if you missed what you had. Being with someone who can see is probably a lot easier...And she’s a lot kinder than I am; I know that I’m a bit rough around the edges.”

 

  Sokka frowned deeply and dropped the stack of letters on the floor, not caring about the mess that it made. He gingerly pulled the short earthbender into his arms and whispered softly,”I had no idea you were insecure...Why didn’t you say something before?”

 

  Toph wrapped her arms around his torso, gripping onto the back of his shirt. Her face was buried in his chest. She hated showing this side of her, she hated to show that there were things about herself that she didn’t like, but right now she couldn’t help it. The tears ran down her face like rivers, undoubtedly soaking Sokka’s shirt.

 

  She slowly let go of him and took a step back. She sniffled once and wiped the tears from her face,”Suki is just...a lot more level-headed, and I know how happy she made you.”

 

“If she made me that happy, wouldn’t I still be with her?”

 

“Wh-What…?”

 

  Sokka smiled and gingerly rubbed his girlfriend’s shoulders,”Sometimes, things just don’t work out, aren’t meant to be. And that’s alright, because sometimes you get something even better. In this case, I got you.”

  Toph felt her cheeks get a little hot. She was blushing, something she didn’t do too much of. The young earthbender covered her face with her hands and mumbled,”I’m sorry I kept those letters a secret, I won’t ever do it again. I should’ve trusted you more…”

 

  Sokka gently moved her hands from her face. He cupped her face and leaned down, his face only about an inch away from hers. He smiled wider and rested his forehead against hers,”And I shouldn’t have overreacted like I did. I can just write Suki a letter and tell her that I’m uninterested, but would like to be friends with her.”

 

“Alright, enough serious talk. Just kiss me already.”

 

  The young man chuckled lowly and pressed his lips against hers. His hands found their way to her waist before he snaked his arms around her, pulling her close. Toph hummed softly in satisfaction, wrapping her arms around his neck.

 

  He slowly pulled away and mumbled against her lips,”That’s what I like about you...We can joke around together, but we can have serious talks too. It just...works. I love you, you know.”

 

“I know. I love you too, just in case you didn’t know.”


	4. "Will that be all?"

Katara tapped her fingers against the counter. She worked at a local Barnes & Noble, a job she happened to enjoy very much. It was nearing the end of her shift, and she was absolutely exhausted. She gestured vaguely with her hand in front of her face, pulling the sweat off of her and moving her hand behind the counter to drop it. “The perks of waterbending”, she thought.

 

  She noticed a man down the aisle looking around with his eyebrows furrowed. His hair was dark and shaggy, it fell a bit into his eyes, but it worked for him. He looked over at her with pleading eyes then back at the bookshelf. 

 

  The blue eyed girl giggled and came out from behind the counter, leaving just one cashier up front, and made her way over to him,”You looked like you needed some help. Is there anything I can do to be of assistance?”

 

  The man looked over at her, and it wasn’t until now that she could take him all in. He had a burn over his left eye that went all the way back to his ear. His black shaggy hair fell into his amber eyes; Which meant that he was either a firebender or came from a line of them. He was a bit taller than her, she came up to his shoulders.

 

  He cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck anxiously,”Uh, yea! I’m looking for a mystery novel, it’s the next one in the series and…”

 

“Oh!”, she looked at the book in his hands. It was dog-eared every couple of pages or so, something that she too found herself doing when she came across a good part in the book.

 

  Katara smiled gently and tapped the book in his hands,”I’ve actually read this one before. I just finished the new one last week. We got a shipment of them today, haven’t even been unboxed yet. I could go in the back and get one for you, it’ll only take a few minutes.”

 

“I couldn’t ask you to do that, it’s alright.”

 

“It’s my job, silly. Now you stay right here, and I’ll go get it.”

 

  The waterbender hurried to the back room and looked over the new shipment of boxes before finally coming across the box she was looking for. She tore through the tape with a box cutter and pulled out one of the books. Her hands gingerly glossed over the hardcover book. It was a dark cover with woods in the background, fog covering the ground. It was simple, but she loved it.

 

  She pushed passed the doors and made her way back over to where the amber eyed young man was. She cleared her throat,”Excuse me sir, here’s your book.”

 

“Thank you, I really do appreciate it.”

 

  Katara made her way back to the counter and took a sip out of her bottle of water. Her coworker nudged her shoulder gently and whispered,”He was kinda cute, wasn’t he?”

 

“I-I...I wasn’t really paying attention.”

 

“Sure you weren’t!”, her coworker laughed softly before beginning to check out a customer.

 

  The shaggy haired man walked up to the counter and set the book down. He gave her a soft smile and crossed his arms across his chest. She returned the smile and scanned the book for him,” _ Will that be all? _ We’ve got some novelty pens, bookmarks-”

 

  He chuckled and took a bookmark from the basket on the counter, setting it on top of the book,”Now that’s it, you can’t rope me into anything else.”

 

  Katara scanned the bookmark and told him his total, watching as he swiped his card. She printed out the receipt and gave him a pen to sign with as well as a customer copy. His signature was messy, but still had a hint of fancy to it. He wrote something on the customer copy, giving both back to her,”Maybe there is one more thing you can do for me…”

 

  She looked over the receipt to find his name and number scribbled on the thin piece of paper,”Zucko?”

 

  Zuko laughed softly at the way she said it. She sounded it out like “yuck” would. He flashed a smile, yet his cheeks had a tint of pink,”Zuko, and I would like it if you gave me a call. Maybe I could hurry up and finish this book and we could talk about it over coffee.”

 

“Maybe.”, Katara blushed and nodded.

 

  He looked at her name tag and picked up his bag, beginning to walk out of the store,”I really hope you call, Katara.”

 

“I knew you thought he was cute.”, her coworker piped up.


	5. "Take what you need."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING
> 
> MINOR CHARACTER DEATH, MENTION OF DEATH, AND MENTION OF PREGNANCY

Gytha rubbed her stomach, gritting her teeth as the baby kicked. Her shoulder-length red hair was pulled back into a braid, loose strands falling his her baby blue eyes. She had heard that pregnancy wasn’t easy, but she didn’t know that every time the baby moved it was like there was a party going on inside of her. She loved this baby, so much. Her and Alistair were told that the chances of two Grey Wardens having a baby were, well, slim to none. So to say that Alistair frets over every little thing concerning his wife and unborn child, is the understatement of the year.

 

  She took a deep breath as she walked down the street, walking back to the palace. One of the women who worked in the kitchen had suggested that she go for a walk and get some fresh air. 

 

  The young woman frowned deeply, seeing an elderly woman sitting down and leaning against a building, asking for spare change. The elderly woman gasped softly,”Your Majesty!”

 

  Gytha hurriedly opened up her coin pouch, at least ten sovereigns falling out. She extended her hand to the sickly looking woman,”Please,  _ take what you need. _ ”

 

“I-I couldn’t do that to you…”, the woman shakily stood up. It wasn’t until now that the Queen got a good look at her. She was a shorter woman, frail and skinny. Her grey hair was stringy and looked like straw, meaning she hadn’t bathed in quite some time. Her dark eyes were clouded over, perhaps she had given up hope?

 

“Nonsense, what’s your name?”, the blue eyed woman asked while draping an arm around the other woman’s shoulders to steady her.

 

  The older woman smiled up at the noblewoman, showing that she had very few teeth left,”Eileen, your Majesty.”

 

“Come on, Eileen, you’re staying at the palace.”

 

  Before the decrepit woman could object, she was already being dragged towards the larger than life castle. Alistair hurried down the stairs,”Gytha, do you know how worried I’ve been? I didn’t even know where you were!”

 

  The red head’s cheeks turned a shade of pink as she spoke softly,”This woman, Eileen...she’s sick and needs help.”

 

“I’ll have it taken care of.”, he smiled and kisses her forehead before turning to see Eileen in a deep bow.

 

  He gingerly helped her stand up straight, wincing as he heard something crack,”I’m so sorry! I was simply trying to help.”

 

“Thank you, your Majesty. You and the Queen are far too kind…”

 

  Over the course of the next few days, Gytha and Alistair made sure that Eileen was well fed, had clean clothes, and was bathed. It was becoming more and more obvious to them that they weren’t nursing her back to health, but rather making her last few days as comfortable as possible.

 

  Gytha poked her head in the room that Eileen was staying in. Her head had drooped to the side, but she otherwise looked peaceful.

 

“Alistair! Alistair!!”, she cried, the tears running down her face. She figured that when she yelled for her husband’s name that the woman would wake up, like it was some sick joke. But alas, she didn’t.

 

  The King rushed towards the room and gasped, covering his wife’s eyes and pulling her close. It might have seemed silly to other people, but Eileen had sort of become a grandmother figure to the couple. She had a special place in their hearts, and they were going to make sure that her funeral was as beautiful as possible.


	6. "I heard enough, this ends now."

  Hawke stood with her friends, excluding Isabela, standing before the Arishok. She licked her lips, a nervous habit she had developed over the years. She knew that she was an amazing fighter, or else she’d be dead by now, but the Arishok...That’s a big guy there. She supposed it wouldn’t be so bad if it was just one hulking frame. But no, of course the very large man had friends who also happened to be very large. 

 

  In all honesty, Hawke missed Isabela, more than anything. They treated each other with respect, and gave each other their whole hearts, but that didn’t stop Isabela from leaving, now did it?

“Hawke, I’ve been expecting you.”, the Arishok walked down the stairs to greet her, his battleaxe effortlessly resting on his shoulder. “This is what respect looks like, bas! Some of you will never earn it!”

 

  He grunted before looking back at the dark haired woman,”So tell me, Hawke. You know that I am denied Par Vollen until the Tome of Koslun is found. How would you see this conflict resolved?”

 

  Behind her, she heard a Qunari man fall to the ground after the large double doors were opened. Hawke turned her head to see Isabela walking in, something under her arm,”I believe I can answer that.”

 

  The pirate handed the tome to the Arishok. She gently knocked her shoulder against her former lover’s,”Trying to save the world again? Don’t worry, I’ve got this covered.”

 

“I’m glad you came back...You don’t know how long I spent searching for you.”

 

  The Arishok grumbled,”I hate to break up this happy reunion, but your woman here belongs to me.”

 

“Excuse me?”, both Isabela and Hawke said.

 

  He handed the relic to another Qunari. Aveline crossed her arms,”Oh no, if anyone kicks her ass, it’s me.”

 

“Sounds like you have something specific in mind for her.”

 

“She will submit to the Qun and become Ben-Hassrath, further than that I will not say.”

 

  Hawke took a step forward and snarled,”Well you can’t have her.”

 

“Mmph...Then you leave me no choice. I challenge you, Hawke. You and I will battle to the death, with her as the prize.”

 

  Isabela gasped and shook her head,”No! If you are going to duel anyone, duel me!”

 

“You are unworthy.”, he spat back at her.

 

“ _ I heard enough, this ends now! _ ”, Hawke snapped, pulling out her daggers.

  Isabela rested a hand on Hawke’s arm, whispering softly,”You don’t have to do this.”

 

  The young rogue looked back at her,”I’m doing what I have to in order to keep you, and the rest of Kirkwall safe. Stand back, Isabela.”

 

“This isn’t some thug in Lowtown, you could die.”

 

  Hawke turned and gingerly caressed her cheek, mumbling under her breath,”And if I do, it was for a good cause.”

 

“But I-”

 

  Isabela was interrupted when Qunari men grabbed her, pulling her aside like everyone else,”Let go of me!”

 

  The room was open, everyone who was watching was near the wall, giving Hawke and the Arishok space to fight. When the fight was over, Hawke stood behind the Qunari man, a dagger held to his throat,”How much do you value your life, Arishok? I could kill you right now. I could-”

 

“Hawke, stop! Please…”, Varric looked up at her.

 

  The rogue found his pleading eyes and frowned deeply, putting her daggers away. She nudged the bleeding man to the floor with her boot,”You’re lucky, I hope you know that.”

 

  Isabela ran over and hugged Hawke tightly. She pulled away when she heard the woman wince,”Everything alright?”

 

  Hawke gestured to her shoulder that the Arishok’s axe nicked,”I would say no.”

 

“Let’s go home, get you cleaned up…”, Isabela cooed as she wrapped an arm around her waist, walking with her.


	7. "No worries, we still have time."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING
> 
> MENTION OF PREGNANCY

Gytha looked over the letter. She wanted to throw it in the trash and never speak of it, but she knew that wouldn’t be right. It was from Goldanna, Alistair’s estranged sister. Funny how she wanted to talk to them now that Alistair was King and she was Queen.

 

  Alistair walked up behind her, resting his head on her shoulder,”What’s on your mind, beautiful?”

 

  The Queen took a deep breath and turned around to face him. She reached up to touch his face with one hand, holding the letter in the other. She spoke softly,”I have a letter here, it’s from your sister.”

 

“M-My...What?”, Alistair shook his head in disbelief. He wanted to laugh, thinking it was a joke, but then remembered that his wife would never be so cruel to joke about something like that. “What does it say? What does she want?”

 

“She wants to meet with us, says she wants to be part of our lives.”

 

  Alistair’s mouth stretched into a scowl,”How convenient. She wanted nothing to do with us when we just had a noble name, but as soon as we’re ruling Ferelden...BOOM! She wants to talk with us! I won’t do it, I can’t get my hopes up like that again.”

 

“Think about the baby, Alistair…”

 

“What does our child have to do with it?”, he whispered, his hands going to her stomach, rubbing it slowly. The blond smiled softly as the baby kicked beneath his hands. 

 

  Gytha placed her hands on top of his and hummed softly,”I’m not sure I would be able to forgive myself if I don’t give this a chance. This might be an opportunity for you to have a relationship with your sister and for our baby to have a relationship with her aunt.”

 

“Fine...Write back, say we’ll see her. She wouldn’t have the nerve to ask for money in a public setting.”

  
  


*

  
  


  Alistair rushed into his bedroom, looking over his wife and smiling brightly,”You look wonderful…”

 

“As do you.”, she smiled and got on her tip toes, gingerly pecking his lips. “But we’ve got to hurry, we’re already running a little late.”

 

  The King waved his hand dismissively,” _ No worries, we still have time. _ ”

 

“Ali-bear!”, she squealed as he began kissing down her jawline then down to her neck.

 

  The red headed woman tangled her fingers in his hair, taking a shaky breath,”We’ve got to go, alright?”

 

  The King and Queen rode in a carriage, on their way to some tavern. Upon arrival, Alistair got out and hurried to the other side, helping his wife out. He loathed going out in public nowadays. Well, that was an exaggeration. Really he just hated all of the attention that he and Gytha got. Yes, they were veterans of the Fifth Blight. And yes, they were the King and Queen of Ferelden, but every now and then he just wished that they could be just Alistair and Gytha. Was that too much to ask for?

 

  Walking inside the tavern, they looked around for the woman. However, she was nowhere to be found. They walked over to the bar, asking the bartender where she might be. The man behind the counter bowed and addressed them properly before handing them a slip of paper.

 

  Gytha read the note out loud,”Your Majesties, I’m sorry to inform you that I could not make our appointment, for I had…”

 

“She had what?”, Alistair whispered.

 

“Better things to do…”, Gytha snarled.

 

“I knew this was a waste...Let’s get out of here.”, he snapped before dropping a few sovereigns on the counter for the bartender.

 


	8. "I know you do."

The knights trained in the courtyard. They sparred with each other as well as practiced on the training dummies. Brilwyn stared out the window, biting her lip. One knight had her attention, that was for sure. Ser Elias Warren. His blond, curly hair was untamed and fell into his green eyes. He had a some inches on her, which wasn’t saying much considering how short she was. But to her, he was the most amazing person she’d ever met.

 

  Alistair cleared his throat,”Staring at the soldiers again, are you?”

 

“D-Dad!”, she gasped, closing the curtains and looking down at her feet, blushing massively.

 

“I don’t like the way some of them look at you...Like you’re a prize to be won. That isn’t how a man is supposed to look at a woman, or a man, if that’s what they want.”

 

  The princess, only sixteen, looked up at her father,”What do you mean?”

 

  The king sighed softly and gestured to a chair, sitting down in the one across from it,”Sit down, Brilwyn, I think it’s time that you and I had a talk.”

 

  The teenager sat down slowly, crossing her legs at her ankles,”Mom already spoke to me about-”

 

“No, no, no. This isn't the talk. Do you ever notice the way I look at your mom? I look at her like she is a person, not an object. I look at her like every man should: with respect, love, and trust. I don’t look at her like she is just...something to be won. She isn’t a trophy, she’s my partner. Do you understand?”

 

“I think so...Can I ask a question?”

 

“You can always ask me anything.”

 

  Brilwyn looked at her feet, her face flushed,”Do you think Ser Elias looks at me like that?”

 

“B-Brilwyn! Is that what this is about? Is he why you watch them train?”

 

“He treats me like a person...I’m not just ‘The Princess of Ferelden’ when I’m around him, I’m Brilwyn Theirin.”

  Alistair stood up slowly, walking over and ruffling her hair,”Then I would say so...Now can I tell you something?”

 

“Of course you can.”

 

“I want you to know that you’ll always be my little girl. You’ll always be my miracle baby. Now matter how old you get, you’ll always have your mom and I to rely on and come to. I love you, I hope you know that.”

 

  The young red head stood up, hugging her dad tightly,” _ I know you do _ , and I hope you know that I love you too.”

 

  Alistair wrapped his arms around her, rubbing her back gently and chuckling,” _ I know you do. _ ”


	9. "You shouldn't have come here."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING
> 
> MENTION OF DEATH, MENTION OF DEPRESSION, MENTION OF ALCOHOL

Adam sat at the bar, nursing a heartache with his third glass of whiskey. Nothing had happened between him and Leliana, that’s not what ripped his heart out of his chest and slammed it on the floor just to jump all over it. No, this was over his sister, Rosalie. She wanted to take the final blow against the archdemon, but he just...couldn’t let her. That’s his baby sister, she’s only sixteen. He was a man now, twenty soon, he should be the one to do it. He couldn’t possibly put that responsibility on Rosie, it isn’t fair.

 

  His eyes found their way to the woman taking the seat next to him at the bar. Leliana, should’ve known. He frowned deeply and mumbled,” _ You shouldn’t have come here. _ I don’t want you to see me like this. You shouldn’t have to.”

 

  Leliana shook her head, laying a hand on his forearm,”We’re partners, Adam, that means we’re there for each other through it all. The good, bad, and indifferent. You don’t always have to be happy and fun-loving. You’re allowed to be down sometimes too, ya know.”

 

  He smiled behind his glass as he took another sip,”Thank you, I appreciate that. I do, however, think I’m probably more enjoyable at camp.”

 

“Oh, I like nights at camp with you, the nights where we stand guard together are my favorites. We talk for hours through the night, it’s beautiful. But, that doesn’t mean I won’t be here for you in times like this. I know that I can talk freely with you. I know this because I feel safe in your arms. Safe, loved, and accepted, and I would hope that the feeling is mutual. So, please talk to me about what’s troubling you, my love?”

 

  Adam’s pointed ears had been droopy from his depressing thoughts, but her words made them perk right up. His spirits were still down, but she had made him feel slightly better. He looked over at her and sighed softly, setting his glass down,”I worry about my sister.”

 

“Oh…”, Leliana whispered, knowing full well that there isn’t too much she can say to ease his thoughts.

 

“You know that she wants to sacrifice herself to the archdemon. I’m just having a hard time with it, I suppose. What would you do if you were in my shoes?”

 

  The young red head licked her lips and shook her head,”I couldn’t tell you. Even if I did have an answer, I don’t think that I would tell you.”

 

“Why’s that?”

 

“I wouldn’t want to influence your decision. Besides, if you made the wrong decision, I think you would secretly partially blame you if I did give my input.”

 

  The light haired man nodded slowly,”I can respect that…”

 

  He pushed the glass aside, signalling to the bartender to take it away,”She tells me that she doesn’t have much to live for, but she does. She has more life left in her than I do, and more opportunities. I remember when I was ten and our parents were sending me to the Circle. She told me that she’d always hate them for taking me away from her. Rosie was displaying already that she was a mage, so I guess she was upset that we weren’t sent together. After all, she knew she was a mage earlier in her life than I did, so it made sense. She...She says that I’m the one who’s likable and that I’m a better person. But how could she say that?! She leads us fearlessly! She’s the one who recruits everyone! She’s so persuasive and-”

  Leliana hugged him tightly. He quickly wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her shoulder. She gingerly ran her fingers through his hair, letting him quite literally use her as a shoulder to cry on. Her fingers curled around his hair as she sang to him softly, something she always did to him when he wasn’t feeling right. 

 

  Adam lifted his head, the tears still running down his face, and gingerly pecked her lips,”I love you.”

 

“And I love you too.”


	10. "You think this troubles me?"

Brilwyn leaned against the war table, gesturing towards one of the pieces on the table,”Cullen, I want you to handle getting a battalion for Sera, being as- Agh!”

 

  She fell to her knees, screaming out in pain and gripping onto her left forearm with her right hand.

 

“Inquisitor!”, the three advisors gasped before rushing over to her.

 

  The red headed leader hung her head, the tears falling from her eyes and onto the floor. The mark on her left hand pulsed. It felt like someone stabbed her in the palm of her hand, dragging the blade down. She tries her best not to break down like this in front of her friends and peers. But sometimes, in times like these, she just can’t help it.

 

  Leliana rubbed her back slowly and whispered,”Perhaps we should take a break? This has been happening quite a bit lately.”

 

“No, no, it’s fine.”, Brilwyn said through gritted teeth. 

 

  Growing up as the Princess of Ferelden, people often gave her special treatment. However, she knew that nobody here did that for her, it was a relief. When she was younger she often heard her father saying that he wished he could just be Alistair, and that he hoped that one day she could be just Brilwyn. And she could honestly say that here, at Skyhold with her friends, she was.

“ _ You think this troubles me _ , Leliana? It doesn’t. It’s a nuisance, a pain, a bother, but it troubles me no longer. I have grown to accept that this mark is just who I am. I am content, and I’ll be damned if this thing slows me down.”

 

  The young woman slowly stood up and shook her hand out. She took a shaky breath and turned to look at Cullen,”As I was saying, I want you to handle getting a battalion for Sera, being as though you’re in charge of our armies.”

 

  The Commander stared at her in shock, blinking slowly,”A-Ah, yes. A retinue of our best will certainly make an impression.”

 

  Brilwyn nodded slowly, repeatedly opening and closing her hand,”I apologize for snapping at you, Leliana. And thank you, Cullen.”

 

  The Spymaster smiled softly,”It’s quite alright, I understand. Besides, your mother is far scarier when snapping at someone.”

 

“Oh believe me, I know.”, she laughed softly.


	11. "But I will never forget!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING
> 
> MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH

Rosalie looked at the archdemon lying on the ground. She took off running towards the beast, her staff in hand. She’d sharpened the end of her staff so that it was sorta like the end of the knife, it made closer combat easier. She lifted the staff above her head, gasping sharply as she was pushed out of the way. Rosalie fell to the ground, looking up in horror at her brother,”Adam, no!”

 

  She hooked her leg around his ankle and pulled him down,”I’m supposed to do this! Or have you forgotten?!”

 

  The young woman scrambled to her feet, her older brother pushing her back down,”I’m your older brother! I’m supposed to look after you, and that’s what I’m doing!”

 

  She went to get up but he held her down by her stomach with his foot. He lifted his staff above his head and stabbed the archdemon,”Don’t forget about me, baby sister...Make sure Leliana doesn’t either.”

 

“No! Adam!!”, she screamed, the tears running down her face as a large pillar of light emitted from him and the archdemon. 

 

  The young elven man’s body went limp, collapsing to the ground. Rosalie crawled over to him sobbing, scooping him up into her arms and holding him close. This was supposed to be her, she was supposed to die. Adam had so much more to live for than she did. How could he do this to her? To Leliana? How could he just leave and pretend that everything was going to be okay, that this was the way it was meant to be? Was this...Was this his plan all along?

 

“Adam!”, Leliana screamed as she ran up. “No! This isn’t- NO!”

 

  The red headed woman sat next to Rosalie and played with her dead lover’s hair, something she always did when he needed to be calmed. She sat with his sister, both of them absolutely shattered. She looked over at the young woman and whispered,”Why…? What did he say…?”

 

“H-He...He said he had to look after me. Then he told me not to forget him, and asked that I make sure you don’t either…”

  
  Leliana shook her head,” _ But I will never forget!  _ Forget the love we shared? How happy he made me? No, I’ll never forget...I’ll travel all of Thedas to spread the tale of our love...and his sacrifice. I promise...I’ll never forget you, Adam.”


	12. "Who could do this?"

  Cinder cocked her pistol, swallowing thickly as her and her husband walked back towards their settlement. Strands of her brown hair fell into her eyes, tickling her face. She looked over the settlement. They couldn’t have been gone for more than an hour, they just couldn’t have. But the whole place was trashed. Raided.

  Sly rested a hand on his wife’s shoulder and whispered softly,”We proceed with caution, they could still be here.”

 

  She nodded slowly as the two of them crept through the small “home” they had built. Their crops were stolen, not just the ripe ones either. They had ripped the plants up by their roots, taking the whole plant. Cinder shook her head and mumbled,”How can you even take entire plants?  _ Who could do this…? _ ”

 

  The young married couple walked inside. Cinder gasped sharply, the anger boiling up inside of her. Their food? Gone. Their clothes? Gone. Their weapons? Gone. Everything was...gone. How could all of this be done within the hour?

 

  Sly shook his head and sighed softly, sitting down on the torn mattress,”This was planned. They knew we were leaving and struck while we were gone. It isn’t safe here anymore, pumpkin. We’ve gotta go.”

 

“B-But this is our home! We built this! You built our home...I planted the garden...What do we do now?”

 

  Sly gingerly pulled her into his lap and kissed her shoulder,”We pack up what we can salvage and we wander around for a bit until we find a place that we can build from the ground up again.”

 

“This is our life now isn’t it? Settling down, being raided, packing up, wandering, settling down...It’s an endless cycle isn’t it?”

 

“Hm...Welcome to the Wasteland, pumpkin.”


	13. "Try harder, next time."

Hotaru was out of breath and panting. She took a ragged breath and looked up at her mentor, Zuko. Her dark, curly hair fell into her amber eyes,”How was that?”

 

“It was good, but your form is sloppy.”

 

“What?”

 

“Sure, you got better control of the fire, but your form is so...sloppy.”

 

  The young woman frowned deeply and looked up at him,”So what you’re meaning to tell me is that I’m not getting any better, and I’m a failure.”

 

“What? No! Just... _ Try harder, next time. _ I’ll see you tomorrow, alright?”

 

  Hotaru nodded slowly,”Sure, tomorrow.”

 

  Zuko left the young woman in the field, walking back home. She gritted her teeth and moved her arms the way that Zuko had showed her, but it just didn’t look the same as it did when her mentor did it. She continued to do the movement over and over, adding in the kicks he’d demonstrated earlier. Hotaru had spent hours upon hours practicing, but she just wasn’t getting it.

 

  The next morning, Zuko went back to the field, it was where they always met for her lessons. His younger pupil lay asleep in the grass. He frowned slightly, had he worked her too hard? Pushed her too hard?

 

  He gingerly nudged her side with his foot to try and wake her,”Hotaru? Is everything alright?”

 

  She slowly opened her eyes and looked up at him before sitting up,”Hm? Yea, why wouldn’t I be?”

 

“You’re just...asleep in a field, that’s all.”

 

  The young woman stood up slowly and stretched, yawning,”Let’s get to work, alright?”

 

“What? No, it’s obvious you’re exhausted. Let’s just take a day off, okay? Let you rest some…”

 

“No! I’ve got to get better. I’ve got to-”

 

“Relax and rest, that’s what you’ve ‘got’ to do.”

 

  Hotaru snarled, throwing her hands in the air,”Why am I so unteachable?!”

  Zuko gasped sharply, watching as the lightning came from her hands,”I...think that’s why.”

 

“Did I just…?”

 

  The young firebender rubbed her shoulder,”I don’t think you need me to teach you anymore, I think you’re doing just fine on your own.”

 

  She smiled brightly and hugged him close,”Thank you! Thank you...so much.”


	14. "Some people call this wisdom."

Rhys sat in the chair at Hyperion in Jack’s old office. He looked over at Jack to listen to him talking,”This is the only room with the override port, so if you don’t jack in now, you’ll never get another shot.”

 

“Rule Hyperion? Together?”

 

“That’s what I just said...So come on, jack in. Get it? Jack in? Because...Anyway, just do it.”

 

  Rhys shook his head as he stood up,”Hell no! You’re a psychopath! Why should I trust you? This is insane!”

 

  Handsome Jack shook his finger from side to side, narrowing his eyes at the young man,”Uh-uh... _ Some people call this wisdom _ , Rhysie. After all the times I tried to help you, after all we’ve been through, you refuse everything you’ve ever wanted?! Oh, I knew you were an idiot the moment you plugged me into your empty little head! I shoulda grabbed you by the skull and bashed your brains against a frickin’ rock!”

 

  Rhys crossed his arms as he looked him over,”You know you died alone, right? Vault hunters killed your friends, they killed your family, and you croaked in some volcano in the middle of nowhere.”

 

“I...am really going to enjoy killing you.”, Jack snarled. 

 

“I’m done talking to you, I’m gonna use the trap door.”

 

  Jack chuckled and lifted his arm up, watching as Rhys’s arm did as well. He snapped his arm back, pulling Rhys back into the chair,”No. No, you’re really not.”

 

  Rhys gasped as his arm was controlled, taking the wire and ramming it into his head,”NO!”

 

“Oh, Fiona...Poor sweet Fiona. She never even knew I was in your head. And that means when I make you strangle her, she won’t even know why!”

 

“You’re a maniac!”

 

  Jack laughed as his face showed up on the screen across the room,”No, I’m Handsome damned Jack!”

 

  Fiona waved a hand in front of Rhys’s face as they stood in front of the entrance to the vault,”Hello? Is anybody in there? And if anyone other than Rhys answers, I might kick your ass.”

 

  Rhys shook his head, snapping out of his thoughts. He looked over at her and smiled softly,”Sorry, just a little lost in my thoughts. What did you say?”

 

  The dark haired woman jabbed her index finger into his chest,”I said stay away from my sister, you absolute goof!”

 

  He snickered and swatted her hand away,”You don’t have to worry about that, okay?”

 

“Oh? And why not?”

 

“Because...Because I...I like someone else.”, he cleared his throat and looked over at her, a light blush on his cheeks.

 

  Fiona stared at him in silence with her eyebrows furrowed. Rhys rubbed the back of his neck and looked away from her and towards the vault entrance,”I uh...Now that we’re past the totally uncomfortable conversation, why don’t we go inside? Ya know, into the vault that we worked our ass off to get to? Just uh...Just a thought.”

  Fiona smiled and grabbed his hand, running inside the portal-like entrance with him. Had he just hinted at having feelings for her and not for her sister, Sasha? Or was he lying? Or did he actually like someone but it wasn’t her? She inwardly scoffed. She was being ridiculous, and besides, Rhys probably wouldn’t want to be with someone who teased him constantly.

 

“Look who’s spacing out now. You coming or not?”

 

“What? Oh! Yea, let’s go!”


	15. "I thought you had forgotten."

Adam frowned deeply, plucking at the blades of grass as he stared into the bonfire. He’d stayed behind with Leliana and Wynne. His sister had insisted that for his birthday he wouldn’t go do “Grey Warden things”. He thought it was sweet at first, because then he could spend his birthday with Leliana, but she didn’t even seem to remember.

 

  He looked over at Wynne, frowning deeply. Usually he couldn’t stand the woman, as she babied him far too much, but he couldn’t help but feel bad for her when she was sick like this. Wynne was growing weaker as the days went by. Sure, Adam didn’t necessarily like her too much, but he took care of her when he needed to.

 

  Leliana skipped over and sat next to Adam, nudging against him with a big smile on her face,”Hiya, handsome. How are ya?”

 

  The elven man shrugged and poked at the fire with a stick,”Could be better, what about you?”

 

  The red headed rogue gingerly pulled something out of her bag. It was wrapped in a slightly torn cloth. Her face was red as she smiled sheepishly and laid it in her lover’s lap,”For...your birthday. Maybe this will help you feel better. I’m sorry it took so long to get this to you. I-I wanted it to be perfect…”

  
  


  Adam slowly unraveled the cloth and smiled brightly, looking over at his girlfriend with tears in his eyes,” _ I thought you had forgotten _ . About my birthday, I mean.”

 

“Never! Do you...Do you like it? I made it myself…”

 

  He slowly overturned the necklace in his hands. It was carved wooden heart, smooth, no way he could get splinters. In the middle of the heart their initials were carved neatly. It looked like it was professionally done, not something that she just threw together. 

 

  Adam hugged her tightly, slowly kissing behind her ear then murmuring,”Thank you so much, I’m so proud of you...I didn’t know that you could do wood carvings and stuff.”

 

“Lots and lots of practice over time. It was a recent hobby that I took up...I just wanted to make this perfect for you.”

 

“It is, and so are you.”, he smiled brightly and put it on.

 

  The mage stood up and picked up his girlfriend, nearly effortlessly throwing her over his shoulder. She squealed and giggled, her feet kicking slightly,”Adam! Where are you taking me?”

 

“To my tent, as a thank you.”

 

  Leliana snickered,”You dog you!”


End file.
